Jamaica stands
to gain a share of the billion dollar global animation industry as a result of
a multi-lateral public private partnership between the government of Jamaica,
the World Bank, the Canadian High Commission, Columbus Communications Jamaica
Limited and ToonBoom, a leading animation software provider. The aim of this
partnership will be realised via “Kingstoon – Animating Jamaican
Creativity” – a two day conference to be held June 20 and 21 at the
Mona Visitors’ Lodge, UWI Campus.
The Kingstoon
conference, an initiative led by the World Bank, will highlight opportunities
in the global animation industry; facilitate interactions between young
Jamaicans with professionals and entrepreneurs operating in the local and
international animation industry to enable them to explore the animation
industry for employment and career development, and showcase Jamaican talent in
the animation sector and visual arts to national and international companies.
“Working with
our domestic and international partners we continue to look for outside-the-box
solutions to Jamaica’s youth unemployment” stated Giorgio Valentini, Country
Manager for the World Bank in Jamaica, adding that “KingstOOn will demonstrate
to young Jamaicans how to fulfil their creative potential, while also helping
Jamaican Government, educational institutions, and the private sector understand
how to create the right conditions to develop the animation industry in Jamaica
and rip its benefits.”
Julian Robinson,
Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and
Mining also shared the rationale behind this initiative. “As a government we
believe we have to shift our economy from a physically based economy exporting
goods and services, to a knowledge based economy. In trying to shift that we
have identified services which we believe we can produce here in Jamaica and
which can enable us to have a market globally,” said Minister Robinson. “What
we are trying to do with this conference is to inform you on what the industry
is about, what the potential is in this industry for you, and the kind of
skills and expertise you will need if you want to get into this industry. The
Minister emphasised that there is a huge market for animation with great
potential for job creation for talented persons.
As the largest
distributor of animation content in Jamaica and the first broadcaster to
include a locally produced animated series on its network, Columbus
Communications Jamaica Limited plays a significant role in the development of
the industry in Jamaica. “This partnership for the staging of Kingstoon
is very important to us at Columbus as it provides another opportunity to
leverage our technology to enable the development of the local production
sector and the talents and skills Jamaican youth. We see this conference as an
important part of the process of enabling Jamaicans to take advantage of 21st
century career opportunities,” said Denise Williams, director of corporate
communications of Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of the
Flow and Columbus Business Solution brands. “Columbus provides the technology
that makes it possible for our talented youth to participate in the global
animation industry as producers as well as consumers.”
This is the
second year that Columbus is partnering with the Government and the World Bank
on an initiative to promote innovative and advanced industries to leverage the
technology available in Jamaica.
Students from
high schools and tertiary institutions, animation and visual arts hobbyists and
freelancers and professional graphic artistes and film producers are expected
among the participants to attend Kingstoon. The conference will feature panel
discussions with experts and local and international industry leaders exploring
areas such as the business of animation, production partnerships, monetizing
online content and the production pipeline. Workshops will provide practical
insights into the work of an animator including storyboarding and character
development.
The original
logo that has been created for Kingstoon showcases the depth of talent that
already exists in Jamaica, as well as the readiness to. The logo was created by
Diandra Johnson, a graphic artiste who works on the Media Services team at
Flow. “We are very proud of the work that Diandra has done to create great
brand identity for Kingstoon. She is a great ambassador representing the
talented team that we have here at Columbus, as well as the wider community of
artistes who are ready to take on the challenges and opportunities available in
the animation industry,” Williams said.
The best work of
Jamaican animators will be highlighted via a Film Festival and competition with
awards to be presented for best final animation product or advertisement, best
experimental animation, best character and best storyboard or script. Prizes
for winners of the Kingstoon competition include a scholarship for the Summer
Animation Programme at Sheridan College in Canada, an internships at Columbus
Communications and other organisations and ToonBoom Software licenses.
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